Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-02-13
BOBBERY AND NE.

It's just bit of story. sir, that don't
sound much to strangers, but I'd like to
toll you about it, if you have time to
listen, for they have all forgotten Bob.
berry down here, except me, they're poor
folks, you see, aud things DRIFT out of
folks heads when poverty drifts in.
Bobbery? Yes, sir, that was his name
-loastways the name we gave him down
here. As to father or mothsr, we
never had any, think; never had any
in the wide world to belong to except
oucsalves-Bobbery and me. l was the
eldsst-two years older thaa him; but
then was blind, you see that two years
didn't count for much. and Bobbsry got
ehsad of me after the me when the
long days CT pain slippend into the long
night, aud God shut me out OF the world
not that l grumbled, sir, I've given
over that-and Bobbery was always
such good lad to me that perhaps l
didn't miss SO much after all.
1 grew 10 flncy things AID make be-
lieve I saw q great deal, particularly
after Robbery took to working at his
trade-shoebiack, sir; and sometimes,
when became accustomed to being al
ways in the dark, went out with Bob.
berry and held the money he made.
Well, not much. perhaps, but enough
fer us two, and the little room We had
down at Kingston, over against the
river. only Robbery was an extravagant
iad-not in drink. sir; we were always a
sober lot-but in oranges.
They were almost his ruin, sir-those
oranges. He used to come upstairs
sucking them softly, SO that l might not
hear, and thinking to deceive me; but l
somehow smelt oranges. and it always
made me sharper to catch Robbery
wnistling little tunes to himself on the
way up, just to get me off.
lie made a great deal Of ME, did Bob
bery-along Of bsing blind. you see
and so did the neighbors; bnt l was rare
proud OF him. You don't know wnat 1t
is, cir, to sit alone in the dark all day,
and then, on sudden, to hear fellow
call out, "Here we are again! Come
down and feel the sun set, and we'll
count the coppers." 1t wouid make
YOU love anyone, sir, who hai voice
like that, let alone fellow like Bobbery.
Perhaps you didn't happen to be IN
Kingston, sir, last spring, when the
floods had risen and the land was under
water for miles around. Robbery had
to wade little going down to his work,
but he rather liked it, he said, and he
used 10 tuck up his trousers and call
back to me and laugh as the water
crent around his feet; and he said folks
wouldn't want their boots blaclssd, he
feared. for the water would soon take
OF the polish.
fused to sit on tho window-sill to feel
the suu, and il 1 listened very hard l
could hear the ripple-ripple of the shall
low water at every step that Bribery
made, and it had pleasant sound, and
made kind of company feeling; bu.
when lie was out of hearing and i; was
still kept ripping up against our walls
the company feeling went away and leil
me lonely, and sometimes thought TIE
water hateful, because it lay for SO very
long between me and Robbery.
Well, once l was sitting alone on the
window sill and the day was very quist,
80 quiet that did not hear the little
rippIing waves; and in the quiet grew
frightened at last, and stretched out my
hands across tho sill to feel my way
down. felt something that made m,
shiver and draw back cut of the sun
ight-that made my whole dark lif,
grow suddenly beautiful and precious
t,,ing-I felt the water ripping almos
am TO the level of the sill, and l wa
quite alone, and Bobbery would neve
know.
did not call out or go mad will
fright, as thought at first might do
only crept away in my everlasting
darkness from the warm sunlight ans
s.t down on the bed where Bobber.
and slept together, ard put my hand
over my ears to shut out the roar Of tn
waters.
How long sat there l don't know
Int think it must have been for hours
for felt the sunlight on my face an'
the water rushing around me before
moved again. / was hungry, too, bu
when tried to get down and reach tn
cupboard, the water took me OF my fee
and crept back to the bed and onto tn
shelves of the dresser to be out OF tn
way. l said my prayers two or thrs
t;me,. and said some prayers for b jt
bery. tc,c. for knew he would be sorr
when be fonnd me some day where
had died all aicne in the dark. An
wheo tried to think how things lookt
from our window, with the water sweeT
;us nm 10 the very sill, and tbs red sun
set Iying on it-and beyond the prets
town. aud the clock in the steeple; an
thought it was better Tor me to dl
than Robbery, after all, for he could SCI
while II had no pleasure In my III
And vet wanted to live; wanted
hear Bobbery's voice again; wanse
ts.e waters to go down and somebody
re,namber me at last-for was afra {
Well, sir, God answers our prayer
.on,e, ines in a way that is terribly Jus
| r. ,ates,.s very long time to had G,
hut we come 10 learn 1t at 'ass--an
, learn. too, to leave our prayers as VS.
ss the answers to God. somebody a.
s.ns'nber - me at last and2cau,e back
'xnnebody whose laughing voice acro'
the water was nearer every m'Aoss-
.somebody whose hands were On %
sboulders. xhose eyes l felt were on n
face--somebody who had never forsoese
me-B -Bobber5i